140 ;- ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



In the small eyes and colour-markings this species is very 

 similar to T. malayanus, but it is easily distinguished by its 

 smaller scales, in lacking the posterior spines on the bony stay 

 of the cheeks, and in having- two large dark blotches on the 

 tail. 



Locs. Described from three specimens, 257-315 mm, long, in 

 the Macleay Museum, from Port Darwin, Northern Territory, 

 and Palm Islands and Cape Grenville, Queensland. They are 

 those identified by Macleay as Platycephalus isacanthus, 

 Cuvier & Valenciennes, but they differ from that species in 

 having very much smaller eyes and in general colour-marking, 

 etc. They agree very well with Bleeker's description and figure 

 of his P. busschei. 







INSIDIATOR MALAYANUS, Bleeker. 



Platycephalus malayanus, Bleeker, Nat. Tijdschr. Ned. Ind., 

 v., 1853, p. 498 ; and Atl. Ichth., ix., 1877, pi. ccccxix., 

 fig. '^-2a. Id., Giintlier, Brit. Mus. Cat, Fish., ii., 1860, 

 p. 184. 



1). ix. 1'2 ; A. 12 ; P. 20 ; V. i. 5 ; C. 11 ; L. lat., to hypural, 

 53. Head almost 3 in the length to the hypural, with small 

 spines and low ridges terminating in spines ; supraocular ridge 

 with about six spines posteriorly, and not followed by a series of 

 radiating ridges. Well formed scales cover the operculum and 

 the upper part of the preoperculum. Eye small, 1| in the 

 snout, without tentacles. Interorbital space flat, only the 

 supraocular edges raised, and two-thirds the diameter of the eye. 

 Maxillary reaching to below the anterior fourth of the eye. 

 Bony stay of cheek with four spines, of which three are behind 

 the eye ; preoperculum with two spines, the lower very small 

 or rudimentary. Teeth minute, subequal, the inner ones a little 

 larger than the others. They form abroad band on the upper jaw 

 arid a narrower one on the lower ; two widely separated ellipti- 

 cal groups on the vomer, and a long narrow one on each 

 palatine. 



Scales before the dorsal fin well developed ; those of the 

 lateral line are only half the size of the others. There are 51 or 

 65 rows above the lateral line according to the direction in 

 which they are counted, and 53 pierced scales on the line itself ; 

 owing to the intercalation of an extra row of scales between each 

 of the others anteriorly, one counts about seventy four rows 

 along the middle of the sides. Caudal rounded. Sandy yellow, 

 with three indistinct cross bands, of which the anterior is much 

 the widest. Head variegated with regular wavy bands and 



